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UK awards space launch license to Scottish firm

The UK has awarded its first space launch license to a Scottish rocket company. This will allow the Scottish startup to launch satellites from the first vertical launch site in the country.

Skyrora was founded in 2017 and will be able launch up to 16 rockets per year. This is subject to the UK Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) approval, the regulator announced on Tuesday.

The company based in Scotland would launch rockets from the SaxaVord Spaceport, located in the Shetland islands, north Scotland. This site received a safety license last year and could therefore be used in the future.

The first company to receive a launch licence from the site was Germany's Rocket Factory Augsburg.

Rob Bishton, CAA's Chief Executive Officer said: "Giving a homegrown company Skyrora its launch license is a significant milestone for our space industry and our nation."

By 2030, the space market will be worth more than $1 trillion as companies from around the globe plan to deploy thousands internet-beaming Satellites.

The British space industry employs more than 45,000 people, and produces more satellites outside of the United States.

These efforts suffered a major setback in 2023, when a horizontal launch of a rocket from Newquay (south-west England) failed. SaxaVord's vertical launch would be a major boost to the industry.

Skyrora's Chief Executive Volodymyr Lvykin stated that the company was proud to lead efforts to enable launch activities from the UK. "We look forward to achieving an effective commercial launch program that will benefit us all," he said.

Before launching, the company must meet certain conditions, such as securing adequate insurance, signing a data sharing agreement with the British Government, and signing airspace agreements in other countries. (Reporting and editing by Sarah Young; Sachin Ravikumar)

(source: Reuters)